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Freeport
Freeport is the largest and most populous city in Ioro. It is the center of all trade and wealth and is governed by a democratically elected Council of land-owning citizens. Size Freeport is a metropolis, the largest city in all of Ioro. It has approximately 120,000 permanent residents, with approximately 30,000 wanderers, traders, sailors, and other temporary residents at any given time. Atmosphere Freeport is the center of trade and democracy in Ioro. The smells of fish and seawater pervade the city, and waves can be heard faintly crashing against the shore at all hours. Most days are sunny and humid, with a light rain falling every two or three days. The sounds of large crowds can be heard throughout most of the city, and its streets are crowded with an eclectic variety of colorful citizens, ranging from wizards wearing extravagant robes, to priests in simple clothes collecting tithes, beggars kneeling in rags on street corners, knights in full plate armor, suspicious looking characters wearing dark clothes and eyeing passers-by from within shadowy alleys; and always the great masses of ordinary citizens going about their business, visiting the multitude of shops, taverns, and inns. Ideas flow as freely as coin in Freeport, and you'll just as often hear two people debating the merits of conflicting ideologies as haggling over prices. The city's construction reflects the culture of its citizens: the buildings boast a wide variety of architectural styles, from small, squat stone buildings to leaning wooden shacks, the odd wizard's tower, impressive estates owned by some wealthy merchant; even some distinctly elven and dwarven structures. The city's most popular feature is the Bazaar, a wide open square in the center of town; each morning it fills with hundreds of stalls, carts, and stands, all occupied by merchants hawking their wares and trying to undercut each other. At night, the merchants put away their goods and the citizens move into the many taverns, bars, and inns, engaging in revelry and boasting of their purchases. Almost every night, the streets transform into impromptu block parties as bards move in and ply their trade; thankfully, there are no open container laws in Freeport. The docks dominate the city's coastline; hundreds of piers protrude all along the Free Bay, most of them occupied at any given time. Ships of all sizes are constantly coming and going. Some are merchant vessels, others are naval cruisers, and rumor has it that a few are even pirate ships, disguised to blend in with the rest. History Freeport has existed in some form or another for approximately one thousand years. Although historical records from that long ago are scarce and unreliable, legend has it that Freeport was once a pirate haven. The pirates would raid all along the western and southern coasts of Ioro, then return to the Free Bay to drink and carouse for weeks at a time. Eventually, brave and enterprising merchants ventured into the stronghold and set up permanent shops catering to the pirates. After many generations, the wealthy merchants became the more dominant of the two groups, and most of the pirates turned to less dangerous careers protecting the merchants' ships. To this day, the dual cultures of the seafaring pirates and the ambitious merchants mix to create Freeport's unique character. Recently, Nari the Trickster and a small group of allies from the Temple of the Seven plotted to overthrow Freeport's democratic government and take control of the city themselves. Their plan was to attack the Bazaar during the Festival of the Tides with the newly-discovered black sand, causing mass casualties and blaming the damage on the criminal syndicate the Kenku. Meanwhile, Nari had orchestrated a sahuagin attack on the docks with the intention of using his Templar Knights to repel the invaders. If all had gone according to plan, the black sand attack would have destroyed the public's trust in the city guard and the people would have welcomed their saviors from the Temple as their new protectors. Nari's goal was to reinstate the Temple as the dominant force in the region, but his plans were foiled by a group known as the Heroes of Freeport, aided by Drake Shieldheart and the Kenku. Government The citizens of Freeport elect their own representatives from each district to represent them in the Council, which makes laws, sets tax rates, and performs various other tasks in order to keep the city running smoothly. Council members must be land-owning citizens of Freeport who have lived there for at least five years. One member of the Council, chosen by his fellow Councilors, serves as Mayor, the figurehead of Freeport's government. Defenses A volunteer army known as the Freeport Guard handles the city's defenses. There are about 3,000 professional soldiers, including sailors, living in Freeport proper, while another 1,000 or so are scattered throughout the surrounding territory, defending small towns, villages, and farms. Most impressive is the city's Coast Guard; this fleet of warships patrols all along the southwestern coast of Ioro, scouting for hostile vessels, protecting trade routes, and capturing or destroying pirate ships on sight. The Coast Guard is what has kept Freeport from being overrun by minotaurs and sahuagin for over a thousand years. Goods and Services It is said that if a thing exists, it can be bought in Freeport. The city boasts an impressive array of shops, stalls, merchant ships, and peddlers of every kind. Religion The Temple of the Seven was once a force to be reckoned with in Freeport, but their power has waned over the last few centuries. Where once every citizen could be expected to pay some sort of tribute to the Temple on a weekly basis, now their flock has dwindled and consists primarily of children and the elderly. Most people still respect the priesthood and will give a small donation if pressed, and sailors and merchants give prayers to Talos and Tymora on a regular basis, but the Temple has lost most of its influence over people's daily lives. Their churches still dot the city and are reasonably maintained, but they are no longer the centers of the community. Notable Citizens * Drake Shieldheart * Roscoe Vanderbilt * Randall Brash * Nari the Trickster * Garrett Greenbottle * Katya Markovic * Leviticus Sutherland * Max Jackman * Darby Jones * the Rat King Notable Locations * Shrine of Tymora * Shrine of Talos * Smiling Eel Tavern * Greenbottle's Pawn Shop * Sutherland's Lenders * The Bow * The Bazaar